Department for Transport

Planning Update

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Honourable Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Andrew Stephenson), has made the following Ministerial Statement.I have been asked by my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State to make this Written Ministerial Statement. This statement confirms that it has been necessary to extend the deadline for a decision for the A1 in Northumberland – Morpeth to Ellingham Development Consent Order under the Planning Act 2008. The extension is in light of the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 26 May 2022 regarding the Union Connectivity Review HCWS62 The proposed development comprises the widening of approximately 12.8 miles stretch of the A1 between Morpeth to Ellingham with approximately 9 miles online widening and approximately 3.8 miles of new offline highway. The Secretary of State received the Examining Authority’s report on 5 October 2021 and the original deadline for a decision was extended from 5 January 2022 to 5 June 2022 following a Written Ministerial Statement laid on 15 December 2021 to allow for further consideration of environmental matters.The deadline for a new decision is 5 December 2022. The decision to set a new deadline is without prejudice to the decision on whether to grant development consent for the above application.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces Pay Review Body Chair Appointment

Baroness Goldie: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Leo Docherty MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce that the Prime Minister has appointed Mr Julian Miller as the next Chair of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body. His appointment will commence on 17 June 2022 and run until 16 June 2025.The appointment was conducted in accordance with the 2016 Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Armed Forces Pay Review Body Chair Appointment

Baroness Goldie: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Leo Docherty MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce that the Prime Minister has appointed Mr Julian Miller as the next Chair of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body. His appointment will commence on 17 June 2022 and run until 16 June 2025.The appointment has been conducted in accordance with the guidance of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Department for International Trade

Publication of report pursuant to Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 on the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade (Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP) has today made the following statement.The Government has, today, laid before Parliament a report on the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement. The report is required under Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020, prior to the agreement being laid before Parliament for formal scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG).The Government has always been clear that we will not compromise on the UK’s high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards in our trade negotiations. This report, which draws on independent advice from the Trade and Agriculture Commission[1], Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, confirms the Government’s view that the UK-Australia FTA is consistent with the maintenance of UK statutory protections in these areas.This report is intended to inform and support scrutiny of the UK-Australia agreement prior to its ratification and entry into force. The text of the UK-Australia agreement was published on 16th December 2022 and will be formally laid before Parliament for scrutiny under the provisions of CRaG in due course. [1] TAC advice published on 13th April 2022 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-australia-fta-advice-from-trade-and-agriculture-commission